While we were in Hawaii Amy and I bought some cool souvenirs for her, my daughter Shannon, my son Josh and my son’s girlfriend Tay.

One day Amy asked, “Don’t you want any souvenirs?” Then, before I could answer Amy answered her own question, “Oh, yeah, food is your souvenir!” Unfortunately, based on the size of my waistline, I may have those souvenirs for a while.

Truth be told, I did come home with souvenirs. I brought home five different blends of different Hawaiian coffees from three different plantations.

On Oahu we tasted our favorite coffee was the Dole Plantation’s Waialua Coffee.

While we paid for a whale watching tour — which was educational — according to Hawaiian laws boats could not be closer to the whales than one hundred yards. Fortunately, while watching from shore on Oahu we were that close, and closer at times.

One evening on Maui we saw two male humpback whales battling over a female.

The first whale rose up out of the water and fluke-slapped [his tail] seven times. And, then again, fifteen times. And, finally, eight more. Then nothing; we guessed someone was declared the winner. We could hear the sound of the flukes slapping the water from the shore!

Our first day in Hawaii was also one of the three days all year that whales are counted from the shores on Hawaii for research reasons. How cool is that! Whales were so close that they were expected to be visible from shore.

We tried to sign up for the whale-count, but the slots were filled.

Bummer, but the whales would still be out there. We just had to go somewhere to try to see them.

Amy’s dream vacation — and therefore my dream vacation — was to go to Hawaii. Not just to go to Hawaii, but to go to Hawaii and see whales. That meant, of course, that we would have to do many things that we had never done before.

As many of you know a very kind and generous man gave us his frequent flier miles so our airfare to and from Hawaii was free. Thus began our scramble to do our part to make the rest of the dream a reality.

Each morning just before the dawn surfers wake up, grab their gear, paddle out and head out into the surf. There they look, listen, feel, notice, observe, calculate, analyze and determine based on all those factors what the surf will be like that day.

Water is a mighty force. The waves on the North Shore are among the mightiest. It’s important to acknowledge their power.

To fear the Lord means to acknowledge God’s great power, God’s complete authority over us, and all of creation, and God’s terrible hatred of the pollution of sin.